Gay business leader arrested for late night entry into male neighbor’s apartment

WASHINGTON — The leader of the D.C.-area gay and lesbian chamber of commerce, and recipient of the 2012 Chamber of the Year award, was arrested earlier this month and charged with unlawful entry, according to court records obtained by LGBTQ Nation.

Mark Guenther, Executive Director of CAGLCC (Capital Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) was charged Nov. 5 by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia after a male neighbor in Guenther’s apartment building was awakened at 3 a.m. on October 26 to find Guenther standing over his bed while he had been asleep.

The complainant told police that he yelled at Guenther, causing him to flee from the apartment; moments later, he said he heard Guenther’s door shut from across the hall.

The complaint stated that Guenther sent him an e-mail several hours later apologizing for, and acknowledging, the intrusion.

Metropolitan Police investigators showed the victim a picture of Guenther on November 5, whom he positively identified as the person who had entered his dwelling without his permission or knowledge and “who was standing over me as I slept.”

Guenther was arrested later that day on a single charge of unlawful entry and released.

The charging documents did not indicate how Guenther gained access to the complainant’s apartment, or how he knew the complainant’s email address.

Further court appearances are pending in the case. Guenther and his attorney both declined to comment on the case when contacted by LGBTQ Nation Tuesday.

Guenther took the position as Executive Director of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce two and half years ago and has brought the chamber national recognition, including the prestigious Chamber of the Year 2012 award by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, according to Laura Berry, Director of Communications for the NGLCC.

Berry declined to comment on the legal case now facing Guenther.

Guenther has also headed up CAGLCC’s hosting of the LGBTQ gala event G-life, a major business event showcasing the LGBTQ business community in Washington on Saturday, November 17.

Editor’s Note: The photo that originally appeared with this article was taken from Mark Guenther’s Twitter profile, and has been removed due to a copyright claim by Metro Weekly, a free D.C.-area alternative publication. Sean Bugg, Co-Publisher of Metro Weekly, is Vice-President of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.